This Fast Food Restaurant Refuses to Serve Police Officer

A Krystal restaurant in Alabama has come under fire after it was alleged that its staff refused to service a local police officer.

According to ABC 33/40, the company admitted to the offense.

The officer’s wife, Brittany Urresta, posted about the incident to Facebook. She detailed how her husband was ignored at the drive-in while in his patrol car, and how the staff walked away from him when he went inside the establishment.

It’s a shame that police officers that protect and serve their communities are denied service. After waiting in the…

“We take this allegation very seriously and have spoken with the entire Irondale Krystal team in addition to reviewing surveillance footage. Our policy is to serve all guests promptly and with a smile. In this case, we clearly did not meet the officer’s expectations and we want to correct it. We want to invite this individual as well as the entire Irondale Police department into our restaurant for a meal to demonstrate our appreciation for what they do,” Krystal said in a statement.

“We value their contributions and the relationship we have with them and with police departments in all of our communities. If this officer in any way felt slighted, we want him to know that we apologize and that was in no way, shape or form our intent.”

An Irondale cop believes he was denied service at Krystal because he is a police officer after he waited for more than 20 minutes to get his food which never came.

The incident happened at the Krystal on Crestwood Boulevard about 4 p.m. Friday, according to Irondale police Chief Ken Atkinson. The officer doesn’t want to be identified or interviewed, Atkinson said.

The officer’s wife posted this on Facebook over the weekend: “It’s a shame that police officers that protect and serve their communities are denied service. After waiting in the drive-thru in his patrol car, they never acknowledged my husband’s order. He went inside in his uniform and every worker walked away from the counter to the back of the store.”

Krystal spokeswoman Kim Miller late this afternoon said video surveillance showed the officer did visit the drive-thru and went inside. “We can also verify that the service he experienced was unacceptable, but it was also unacceptable for the other three guests in front of him at the counter and at the drive-thru,” she said. “The service levels were unacceptable for all of our guests during that time period. The officer was not targeted, but neither he nor our other guests received the level of service they should.”

Atkinson said the officer pulled up to the restaurant’s drive-thru window, in uniform and in a marked patrol car, and placed an order. He sat there for between seven to 10 minutes and never heard any acknowledgement.

Finally, he parked his car and walked inside where two women were standing at the counter. There were no other customers at the counter at the time, the officer told his chief. Both of the workers looked at the officer and then walked toward the back of the restaurant. “He said he could see them back there and they could see him,” Atkinson said.

After about five minutes, one of the employees walked up to the counter and yelled to the other worker that she had to go to the bathroom. She still didn’t acknowledge the officer. He waited several more minutes and finally left without any food.

The officer went and got a meal someplace else and later emailed Krystal but, as of this morning, had not gotten a reply. Atkinson said he called the company in Georgia this morning and spoke with a customer service manager who said they had received his complaint and apologized for what may have happened.

There have been multiple incidents nationwide over the past year where police officers have been denied service because of their chosen profession. According to a New York Times story late last year, A Dunkin’ Donuts employee, spotting a police officer in the back of the line in West Hartford, Conn. one weekend in October announced, “He didn’t get the message; we don’t serve cops here.”

In September 2015, the manager of an Arby’s in Pembroke Pines, Fla., told a uniformed police officer that the employee working at the drive-through window refused to serve him. Also in 2015, incidents at a Jimmy John’s in Minnesota, a Chuck E. Cheese in Bowling Green, Ky., a Whataburger in Lewisville, Tex., and a Starbucks in Philadelphia, followed a similar pattern. Police officers were denied service in some form — food, access to restrooms — by employees.

“After talking with him (the officer) this morning, he feels like he was denied service and that’s certainly what it sounds like,” Atkinson said. “In this day and age when police officers are being killed, this is a restaurant in our city. If they have to call for an emergency, we’re the ones responding.”

The chief said what happened to the officer won’t stop them from doing their job. “We’re professional and we’ll answer regardless of how we’re treated,” he said. “I want to know what happened and get an explanation, but as far as we’re concerned, we’ll move on and continue to do our job.”

A manager at the restaurant this morning told AL.com she was reviewing video surveillance tapes to see what happened. Krystal sent this statement to AL.com: “Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We already have begun looking into this and will take appropriate action immediately. Be assured what was described is NOT consistent with Krystal’s values and training. We respect and appreciate all the uniformed men and women who protect and serve our communities as well as for our country.”

The company issued a revised statement this afternoon:
“We take this allegation very seriously and have spoken with the entire Irondale Krystal team in addition to reviewing surveillance footage. Our policy is to serve all guests promptly and with a smile. In this case, we clearly did not meet the officer’s expectations and we want to correct it. We want to invite this individual as well as the entire Irondale Police department into our restaurant for a meal to demonstrate our appreciation for what they do.

We value their contributions and the relationship we have with them and with police departments in all of our communities. If this officer in any way felt slighted, we want him to know that we apologize and that was in no way, shape or form our intent.”